Events - National Basketry Organization, Inc.,
Upcoming Events:
2011 NBO Biennial Conference TRADITIONS & INNOVATIONS VI - Dates to be announced.
2010:
Jan. 31 - Feb. 6
Baskets in American Bullrush
Instructor: Peggie Wilcox
Location: John
C. Campbell Folk School - Brasstown NC
Feb. 5 - 7
Georgia Basketry
Association Convention - "Weaving Green"
Contact: Pattie Bagley
LLocation: Doubletree Hotel - Roswell, GA
Feb. 6-7
Willow Basketry and Gathering
Basic round (beginners), oval, square or ribwork (also beginners) - you choose and cut your own willow to take home too.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
Feb. 13-14
Coiled Pussy Willow ‘Acorn’ Earrings
These are tiny coiled baskets in pine needles or willow root. If you don’t want to work so small you can make a larger pine needle basket and work with willow skeins or Palm thread. We will learn to make patterns by carrying along colored threads and/or using beads.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
Feb. 19 - 21
Sampler Basket with Wrapped Handle
Instructor: Patti English
Location: John
C. Campbell Folk School -- Brasstown NC
Feb. 21 - 27
Dynamics of Color, Pattern and Shape in Twill
Instructor: Tika Tucker
Location: John
C. Campbell Folk School - Brasstown NC
Feb. 25 - March 21
Exhibition
Artist: Nanette Davis
Location: Guardino Gallery; Portland, OR
The show will include bias plaited basket/sculptural forms made from
Shibori hand painted silk bonded to acetate, foil and/or paper.
February 26 - 28
Winter Weave
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Feb 27-28
Willow Basketry
Scallomed projects: oval shopper, magazine basket, or square shopper
Instructor: Katherine Lewis
Location: Dunbar Gardens - Mount Vernon, WA
Information: http://www.dunbargardens.com
March 11 - 14
North Carolina Basket Makers Association Convention
Location: Sheraton Imperial Hotel - Durham NC
March 20-21
Willow Basketry 2
Basic round (beginners), oval, square or ribwork (also beginners) - you choose and cut your own willow to take home too.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
March 24-28
North West Basket Weavers Spring Retreat 2010
Location: Pilgrim Firs Conference Center - Port Orchard WA
April 03-05
S'more Weavin'- S'more Fun'...14th Annual Headwaters Basketmakers Workshop
Location: Concordia Language Village - Bemidji MN
April 10-11
White Willow, Hazel, Willow bark and Cherry
Collect and peel willow and hazel for white stick baskets. Collect and peel Willow, Hazel, Maple and/or Cherry bark. We will also start a traditional West Coast twined tray or clam basket in whole shoot twining when the peeling is not appealing….in the evenings.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
April 10-11
Willow Basketry
Stake & strand projects: gathering basket, garden basketr />
Instructor: Katherine Lewis
Location: Dunbar Gardens - Mount Vernon, WA
Information: http://www.dunbargardens.com
April 15-17
Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat
Location: Kuhlman Center - Richmond IN
April 15-18
2010
Fibers Through Time 2010, A Fiber Odyssey
Sponsored by Arizona Federation of Weavers and Spinners Guilds, Inc.
Location: Phoenix AZ
April 16-18
2010
Northeast Basketmakers Gathering 2010
Location: Clarion Hotel and Conference Center - West Springfield MA
April 16-18
2010
Central Pennsylvania Basket Weavers Guild Spring Retreat
Location: Gitt Mansion - Hanover, PA
April 17-18
2010
Baskets and Gourds-Containers of Our Culture
Hosted by the Tulare/Sequoia Gourd Patch
Location: Visalia, CA
April 23-25
2010
Festival of American Basketry Connections
Location: Amana Colonies, IA
April 24-25
Wrapped Twining
This technique is used from the South Pacific to Siberia, and Japan to South Africa, and in many parts of North and South America. We will look at wrapped twining in the West Coast, Plateau, Great Lakes, and the ancient Great Basin. Many soft materials will be available for you to start your own basket, or two, or three.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
April 30-May 02
2010
Lake Country Basket Fest 2010
Lake Country Basket Guild (LCBG) member conference
May 1-2
Willow Basketry
Irish potato basket, round fruit baskets
Instructor: Katherine Lewis
Location: Dunbar Gardens - Mount Vernon, WA
Information: http://www.dunbargardens.com
May 15-16
Beaded and Feathered Basketry
There are many ways to attach beads or feathers to basketry. We will look at coiled and twined baskets, adding embellishments both in process and over finished baskets. Choose your style or make a few starts. With Margaret and bead weaver Carol Mathewson.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
May 21 - 23
Live and Woven Willow
Instructor: Bonnie Gale
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
May 21-23
Poplar Bark Basket with Ken Workowski
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
May 30 - July 11
From Nature: Textiles/Sculpture
Instructor: Dorothy Gill Barnes
Location: Penland
School of Crafts - Penland NC
June 03-06
2010
2010 Cherokee Gourd Artists Gathering
Location: Cherokee, North Carolina
June 4 - 7
Material Study in Vessels
Instructor: Rachel Chambers
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
June 4 - 8
Tensile Translucence
Instructor: Pat Hickman
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
June 4 - 8
Weaving with Metals
Instructor: Jesse Lynn Mathis
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
June 5
Sweetgrass Festival
Location: Waterfront Memorial Park, Mount Pleasant, SC
June 6-11
Native American Basket Patterns with Jeanette Biederman
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
June 07-13
2010 Stowe Basketry Festival
Location: Round Hearth - Stowe, VT
June 08-12
2010
Bluegrass Area Basketmakers Seminar
Location: Jabez, KY
June 9 - 13
Bead & Button Show
Location: - Milwaukee, Wi.
June 11 - 15
Love Me, Love Me Knot
Instructor: Kate Anderson
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
June 20 - 26
Baskets
Instructor: Jackie Abrams
Location: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
- Gatlinburg TN
June 25-27
2010
Weavin' in Winona
The 17th Annual Weavin’ in Winona Basket Workshop will be June 25th, 26th & 27th, 2010 at Tau Conference Center of Winona State University, Winona MN. Teachers who are scheduled are: Dianne Gleixner, Annetta Kraayeveld, Marlene Meyer, Marlys Sowers, Eric Taylor, and Marilyn Wald. All workshop information including colored pictures of classes and a registration form which can be printed from pdf format, is now available on the web site.
Contact: Deb Mather
Email: deb@weavinwinona.com
Location: Winona State University Tau Conference Center - Winona, MN
June 26-27
2010
14th Annual Gourd Art Festival
Location: Welburn Gourd Farm - Fallbrook, CA
June 26-27
Willow Basketry
Stake & strand projects: Round or oval laundry baskets, gathering basket
Instructor: Katherine Lewis
Location: Dunbar Gardens - Mount Vernon, WA
Information: http://www.dunbargardens.com
June 27 - July 1
Creative Basketweaving
Part of creativity involves getting out of your comfort zone, and taking risks with your art or craft. Explore a variety of materials, such as red cedar bark, watercolor paper and paints, tortoise shell cane, copper wire, and more. You will learn random weave, plaiting, twining, knotless netting, and hexagonal weave. At least 4 baskets will be made during the week. We will create a random weave vine rattan basket, a Japanese style flower basket using cane and reed, knotless netting with linen thread and wire, a painted watercolor basket, and a bark basket. Donna will bring 4 different kinds of bark for you to try out, and make your own bark vessel. Every basket will be unique. Registration fee: $895 (includes tuition, housing and most meals) / Commuter fee: $525
Before May 15: Save $100r
Instructor: Donna Sakamoto Crispin
Location: Ghost Ranch
- Santa Fe, NM
Website:
donnasakamotocrispin.com
June 27 - July 3
Beading
Instructor: Wendy Ellsworth
Location: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
- Gatlinburg TN
July 2 - 6
Crochet Made Personal
Instructor: Renie Breskin Adams
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
July 6-11
Native American Basket Patterns with Jeanette Biederman
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
July 7-10
The Kentucky Basket Assoc. Convention
Contact: margocouch@windstream.net
Location: Paroquet Springs Convention Center
- Shepherdsville KY
July 13-16
Willow Basketry
Four day class with projects and techniques catered to student skill level
Instructor: Katherine Lewis
Location: Dunbar Gardens - Mount Vernon, WA
Information: http://www.dunbargardens.com
July 14-17
2010
Tennessee Basketry Association Convention ~ Ten in Tenn Location:
Greeneville, TN
July 16-18
Coiled Basketry with Lynn Schuster
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
July 17-18
Midsummer Festival of the Arts
This summer marks the Arts Center's 40th Midsummer Festival of the Arts. It will feature 135 artists from across the nation presenting their work for purchase. The festival is highly touted by artists and visitors alike--in particular, because of the quality of art and the gracious, effective staff and volunteers.
Contact: (920) 458-6144
Location: John Michael Kohler Arts Center - Sheboygan, WI
July 18 - 25
Convergence 2010 Albuquerque -- New Visions: Ancient Paths
Convergence is an outstanding conference for everyone who loves and works in fiber. Convergence features special lectures; workshops and classes in a variety of fiber techniques, including weaving, spinning, dyeing, basketry, feltmaking, surface design, and more; exhibits; tours; special events; and a commercial vendor hall full of fibers, fiber-related equipment, supplies, and accessories, and an artist market.
Contact: hgaconvergence@weavespindye.org
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 23-24
2010
Heritage Basketry Guild of Dayton, Ohio Annual Conference
Location: Dayton, OH
July 23 - 26
3-D Wire Techniques
Instructor: Lindsay Ketterer Gates
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
July 23 - 27
Transferred Imagery
Instructor: Wendy Huhn
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
July 25 - 31
Baskets
Instructor: Kari Lonning
Location: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
- Gatlinburg TN
August 05-08
2010
Missouri Basketweavers Guild ~ 19th Annual Convention
Location: St. Louis, MO
Aug. 6 - 10
Pillow Baskets: Screening and Paper
Instructor: Nancy Moore Bess
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
Aug. 8 -11
Willow Garden Art with Jo Campbell-Amsler
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
Aug. 13 - 17
Something To Die For
Instructor: Rita Swartz
Location: Peters Valley Craft
Center - Layton NJ
Aug. 22-25
Basket Potpourri with Diane Ericson
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
Aug. 22 - 28
Baskets
Instructor: Lee Nelson
Location: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
- Gatlinburg TN
August 27 - 29
Bent Willow Chair with Ken Workowski
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
August 27-31
Summer Natural Basketry Intensive
Back by popular demand. This week we will explore natural materials basketry from many angles- large and small, soft bags and tough burden baskets, and all the colors nature provides for our designs. Come with an unfinished object (UFO) or start new projects. All levels welcome. Styles include the very traditional and the completely fanciful. You choose.
Instructor: Margaret Mathewson
Location:
Ancient Arts Center - Alsea OR
September 5-8
Further Adventures in Japanese Basketry with Flo Hoppe
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
September 10-12
2010
Land of Lincoln Basketweavers Association
Location: Camp Tuck-A-Basket
- Bloomington, IL
September 11-12
2010
White Oak Crafts Fair
Arts Center of Cannon County
Location: Woodbury, TN
September 17 -20
Willow Harvest and Weave with Jo Campbeii-Amsler
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
Sept. 18
Ohio Guild Day - Ohio Basketry Guilds
September 20 -23
Willow Basics with Jo Campbell- Amsler
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
September 20 -23
Heirloom Wicker Cradle with Rich Prange
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
Oct 3 - 9
Baskets
Instructor: Jo Campbell Amsler
Location: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
- Gatlinburg TN
October 5-10
Beyond the Basics: Willow Basketry with Jacki Bedworth
Sievers School of Fiber Arts
- Washington Island, WI
October 6-9
Textiles and Settlement - From Plains Space to Cyber
Space
Textile Society of America - 12th Biennial Symposium
Keynote speaker for the symposium will be Sheila Kennedy, an architect, whose Portable Light project creates new ways to provide renewable power in solar textiles that can be adapted to meet the needs of people in different cultures and global regions. The Portable Light uses a thin-film photovoltaic textile and LEDs to harvest electrical energy and provide a completely self-contained source of renewable power and light. The 2010 Symposium will be housed at the recently remodeled Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in downtown Lincoln.
Location: Lincoln, NB
Website:
http://textilesociety.org/events_conferences.htm
Oct 15 -17
Baskets
Instructor: Peggy Wilcox
Location: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
- Gatlinburg TN
October 20-24
2010
Association of Michigan Basketmakers Convention ~ Great Baskets, Great
Friends, Great Times
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
November 12-14
2010
West Virginia Basketmakers Association Convention
Location: Alderson Broadus College - Philippi, WV
2011:
April 29-May 1, 2011
Lake Country Basket Guild Basket Fest 2011
Location: Washington County Fair Park - West Bend, WI
May 07-08, 2011
Misti Washington Gourd & Basketry Guild ~ Weekend in the Gardens
Location: Encinitas, CA
May 29-June 5, 2011
Association of Northwest Weavers' Guilds (ANWG)
"Exploring Fiber Horizons" Hosted by the Weaving Guilds of Oregon
Location: Willamette University - Salem, OR
June 23-25, 2011
Northern Wefts Conference 2011 MIDWEST WEAVERS ASSOCIATION (MWA)
Location: Finlandia University - Hancock, Michigan
July 07-10, 2011
MAFA Workshop Weekend 2011
Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA
http://www.mafafiber.org/
July 21-24, 2011
IWC: A CONFERENCE FOR FIBER ARTISTS
Location: Fort Lewis College - Durango, Colorado
You may be able to find additional basketry events at BasketMakers.org..
Highlights below from the 2009 NBO Biennial Conference “Traditions & Innovations V” - Portland, OR (July 28 - August 2, 2009)

Jiro Yonezawa Baskets at Butters Gallery, Portland OR
Opening Reception and Keynote Address:
- “Introduction” by Michael Davis, President NBO & Co-Founder and Helen Meyer, PHD & Co-Founder
- “Pushing The Known” by Marci McDade, Editor, Fiberarts Magazine
- “Basketry Today: Boundaries, Borders & Edges” by Jo Stealey, Professor, University of Missouri
Seminars:
- “Oregon’s Diverse Basketry Traditions” by Margaret Mathewson
- “Bamboo: Plant and Art Form” by Charissa Brock
- “A Spiral Path: The Installations, Sculptural Basketry & Fiber Works” by Lanny Bergner
- “Weaving Together a Past and the Future” by Tina Fung Holder
- “History & Chronology of the Northwest American Basket Weavers Association” by Pat Courtney Gold
- “Developing A Body of Work: Creative Choices” by John Garrett

Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery, Portland OR
Gallery Tour and Art Night:
- Butters Gallery
- Bonnie Kahn Gallery
- Guardino Gallery
- Art Night
- ” Portland Art Museum: View the museum and experience the collection of Native American Baskets
- “Beautiful Usefulness: Native Baskets of the Columbia River Basin” by Mary Schlick, Scholar, Writer
- “Portland: The Ancient Homeland of the Powerful Chinook Nation” by Pat Courtney Gold, Scholar, Artist
Closing Reception with the “Gretchen Miller Band”
Pre-Conference Letter From the NBO President
From Left to right Kathy Olson, Michael Davis, Patti Quinn Hill and Randy Waak with Jiro Yonezawa
Basket, First Piece of the NBO Permanent Collection
"Hopes are high here at the NBO office since we have moved forward with our convention activities. Thanks to all our Traditional, Contemporary and Native American instructors who have agreed to teach at our next Biennial Convention, "Traditions & Innovations V." This year marks a milestone for the National Basketry Organization as we celebrate our ten year anniversary.
Marci McDade, editor of Fiberarts magazine has agreed to be one of our keynote speakers. We are also honored to have Mary Schlick, speaking on Columbia River Baskets and Pat Courtney Gold lecturing on the Chinook history and culture. Ms. Schlick and Ms. Gold are both scholars who will enlighten the conventioneers with local native lore.
Please note that we can only accommodate one hundred and fifty people for this, our first gathering on the West coast, so please send in your monies or deposits early to guarantee your place and a first choice pick on classes. I continue to work on providing local exhibitions, an instructors exhibition is confirmed, as well as another show at the Guardino Gallery in Portland.
Portland is such a beautiful and accessible city with so much to offer. The convention is structured so that everyone can arrive on Tuesday and have Wednesday as a day of discovery. You can use the free city transit and literally see Portland in a day or rent a car, enjoy the city, or venture an hour out of town to discover the Gorge area with it's many spectacular waterfalls. The wine country beckons for those eager to wander in robust vineyards, tasting along the way. There will be an activities packet in your welcome bag when you register at the convention. So join us in Portland as we celebrate basketry and the ten year anniversary of the NBO! "
With warmest regards,
Michael Davis
President/NBO
Summary of Classes Held at "Traditions & Innovations V":
Miniature Bag (1 Day) Corn Husk Pouch (2 Days)* - Kelly Palmer: In this class you will learn to make a traditional corn husk flat basket, used traditionally for storage and trade. This class is for a miniature corn husk pouch/bag used for decoration. You will learn twining and false embroidery. This basket is made of cotton twine or hemp, dried corn husk and rayon raffia, which will be furnished for each participant. Two sessions to finish a corn husk pouch/bag and if time permits, a third session to make a more intricate miniature basket (necklace size). Class size 10 students. $20 supply fee
Baskets, Books & Shrines - Jo Stealey: Learn how to encase a small basket into a book or shrine. Class will focus on techniques to build a structure around a basket and develop pages of a book to tell a story. The book can be part of the incorporated piece or be a companion element. Emphasis will be placed on the construction of a box to encase the basket, secret nooks and sculptural possibilities depict the “story” the basket wants to tell. Develop a personal myth or “story” or that of someone else through this storybook basket. Students at all levels are welcome. Class size 15 students. $20 supply fee
Sticks and Stones: Netting Over Natural Forms - June Kersig-Hinson: The ancient technique of knotless netting or looping is the focus of this workshop. In this form of fiber work, the thread is not pulled against itself forming a hard knot. Rather, the stitches are tensioned, leaving a meshwork of interlocking loops of thread. It does not unravel like knitting or crochet as the thread is drawn entirely through each stitch. Participants will learn the basic techniques by netting over a stone. A demonstration and discussion of methods time will be available for creating individual sculptural forms. Sticks and stones will be provided for the armature, and wires and waxed linen for the netting. This unique, enriching experience is open to all skill levels. Class size 15 students. $50 supply fee
Creating Movement With Form and Color - Herman Guetersloh: Intermediate to advanced level. The focus of the class will be developing a doublewall sculptural basket with emphasis on variation of form, i.e. irregular and/or twisted. In addition, color patterns will be developed to enhance the form. The textural qualities of the basket will be manipulated using a variety of weaving styles. Class size 12 students. $45 supply fee
Recycled Materials/Sculptural Forms - John Garrett: This experimental workshop will explore using fiber construction methods to make forms from scrap/recycled/collected materials. Two major approaches will be presented. We will ply materials together with wire to create unique linear elements which can be woven on themselves or made into armatures. Secondly, we will explore using hardware cloth as an armature for other materials. We will also see how this versatile material can be manipulated. The instructor will also demonstrate other approaches, including folding and riveting sheet aluminum. Class size 16 students. $25 supply fee
Basketry Techniques: Working With Gut and Natural Materials - Jill Nordfors Clark: If you are intrigued by the idea of making net-like non-traditional baskets using unusual materials, you will enjoy working with wire, threads, twigs, found objects and natural hog (sausage) casing. The wet casing is an opaque white tube that can be used as a thread, as a carrier for wire or twigs, or you can create a “casing mache” by slitting the wet tubes lengthwise, then layering small strips over a form. When dry, the stitched net or layered casing hardens in the shape of the mold and is transformed into a lustrous, translucent, parchment-like material. In the workshop we will first experiment with embedding found objects within layers of casing, then we will construct a mold over which to stitch a lace-like basket, using basic netting (needle lace) stitches, twigs and hog guts as a thread. All levels welcome. Class size 15 students. $45 supply fee
Love Me, Love Me Knot - Kate Anderson: Learn basic techniques of knotting through the process of creating a useable bud/flower vase. Slide overview of contemporary basketry will be inspiring. Information covered include thread preparation, beginning the bottom, increasing and decreasing the core, adding colors and methods to finish edges. Add textures and embellishments creatively with materials you bring such as additional threads, beads, charms, buttons, shells - anything goes! Photo is similar to what will be taught in this class All levels welcome. Class size 12 students. $30 supply fee
Creating Biomorphic Basketry Forms out of Metal Mesh - Lanny Bergner: Students will learn basic techniques associated with making basketry structures out of metal mesh. They will gain familiarity with the use of the simple hand tools needed to make metal mesh structures. Students will learn surface embellishment techniques and employ some of the demonstrated techniques to a basketry structure of their own creation. Students will make one biomorphic basketry piece related to the instructor’s demonstration and they will also make any number of experimental objects using the materials provided by the instructor. Class size 12 students. $30 supply fee
Techniques in Bamboo Construction - Charissa Brock: Bamboo, a versatile and exciting material, is the central focus of this workshop. Students will explore the different ways in which bamboo can be dissected and reconnected to create structures of their own imagining. A lecture about types of bamboo and its growth habits will inform participants about the origins of the material. Demonstrations in the preparation process, bending and basic splitting techniques will be taught. Students will create small samples based on techniques taught in the class. $50 supply fee
Small Round Wasco Sally Bag (1 Day) Wasco Sally Bag Wallet w/Color (2 days)* - Pat Courtney Gold: This Wasco Sally Bag is a Columbia River basket traditionally used for harvesting and storing food. Wasco baskets are known for their geometric designs. This class is an introduction to the full-turn twine technique. You will make a small basket learning: the Wasco start, “Z” twine, the full turn twine to create geometric designs and finish with the traditional braided rim. Class size limit is 8 students $15 supply fee This class is an introduction to weaving a flat “basket”. Once the base is started, the weaving will be full turn twine, using various colors. You will sketch and graph your own design. You will learn how to add and drop colored yarns, without losing tension. Embellishments< may be added. Class size 8 students. $15 supply fee

